A Winters Tale in Summer

So this weekend I woke myself up at what felt like the crack of dawn for a morning of Shakespeare at The Regents Park Open Air Theatre.

It's become a yearly ritual for my family and I to head down to the well-hidden open air theatre to watch a Shakespearean drama, comedy or tragedy. I've seen the wonders of A Midsummer Nights Dream, the magic of the Tempest and the sea worthiness of Pericles, but this time it was A Winter's Tale that grabbed our attention.

As usual with Shakespeare, the plot is never straightforward or simple. Set in Sicilia and Bohemia the play follows two best friends King Leontes and King Polixenes whose relationship falls apart due to jealousy. Leontes believes his wife Hermione has been cheating on him with his best friend, so he has her imprisoned and plans to poison Polixenes. Fortunately Polixenes escapes, but whilst under arrest Hermione gives birth to a daughter called Perdita who is sentenced to death by abandonment in the wilderness. Despite protests Leontes refuses to acknowledge the child and waits for his faithful servants to return from the oracle to judge/condemn Hermione and Polixenes for their crimes. Unluckily for Leontes the oracle claims that Hermione is a true wife which in a rage he immediately denies. As punishment for his denial a call goes out to say that Leontes son and heir is dead and Hermione collapses and later dies. Told you it was dramatic. So what happens to his lost daughter Perdita? Well you'll need to go and see it to find out and you've only got four days left!

This version of the Shakespearean tale has been adapted in a way to appeal and engage all ages. This basically means that you'll at some stage of the play be in invited to join in. With a drama degree under my belt I have no issue with jumping out of my seat and joining in with dance routines, throwing my hands or shouting out loud. My Dad and sister on the other hand preferred to stay seated whilst I clapped away like a loon. One day they will disown me.

The acting was exceptional, but my favourite part of the entire play was the transformation of mobility scooters in to boat. I bow down to your genius and creativity and would very much like to purchase one.

Visit http://openairtheatre.com/ to book tickets and see what else is on.

I'm Ron Burgundy?

So this weekend I escaped my glass case of emotion to join a group of fans for the Anchorman quote-a-long at the Prince Charles Cinema.

Having been re-introduced to the film by my housemate Danny last year I was reminded of how funny the film is. In fact I'd go as far to say that's it's one of my favourite comedies, but we mustn't forget Zoolander.

So we settled in to our seats and started to stuff our mouths with popcorn when in walked anchorman Ron Burgundy and sports reporter Champ.Was this going to be a live action version of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy? No it wasn't, but they certainly got the fanatics ready and excited before the projector kicked in.

What started with quotes and banter with the Ron and Champ a-likes soon escalated into a milk carton downing competition. Let's just say that milk was a bad idea. 

I don't need to tell you what the film is like, but in order to prepare for the long awaited sequel the quote along will work 100% of the time, every time.

There's only one last thing to say. Stay classy London and thanks for stopping by.

Visit www.princecharlescinema.com to find out what other film events are coming up!

A Contemporary Twist to Tuesday

So this weekend I broke the rules yet again and got some culture in the week by exploring the world of contemporary dance at Sadler's Wells.

I've always associated contemporary dance and even theatre as serious, distorted, confusing and if I'm honest a bit boring as there is no music. It was with slight trepidation, and let's face it probably bias, that I went to see the latest performance by the Forsythe Company. I was expecting to be bewildered for the entirety of the show, but that didn't happen.

The company was set up in 2005 and draws on the teachings of William Forsythe - acknowledged as one of the worlds leading contemporary choreographers. Their technique pushes the boundaries of ballet and transforms it into a 21st Century art form.

The performance was the UK premiere of Study #3 which was unveiled last year in Frankfurt. The performance included a variety of movements, music, words, crazy sound effects, but most importantly a very talented troupe of dancers.

Now what did i think of the performance? Well firstly i didn't realize that contemporary theatre could be funny. I was shocked when I heard people laughing, but as my friend Mandy told me that this is the norm with some contemporary routines.

The choreography in the first half was brilliant, but the second half at times felt a little over long, but this is by no means impacted on my enjoyment of the show. The vocal skills of the acts were also very impressive. Who knew we could use our vocal chords to create strange sound effects!

There were a few moves that reminded me of similar attempts that I'd tried unsuccessfully. My sister, I'm sure, will remember when I used to try and bend over backwards and touch the floor in every club we went to. 

Unfortunately gravity always won and I'd struggle to get off the ground. Every time I remember those moments I just think of Jim Carrey's line from Me, Myself and Irene "s/he's like origami s/he folds under pressure."

I'm still astounded at the ability and technique of the dancers, but it did make me realize that only in my dreams will I be as flexible as the dancers on stage.

If you want to have your perceptions of contemporary dance challenged then you've only got till Thursday 20th June to see the company action. Visit www.sadlerswells.com for information or to get your hands on tickets.

Food Glorious Food

So this weekend I explored my senses and tickled my taste buds at the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

I'm a big fan of food and if there's any opportunity to try free samples... I'm there. Now I realise that this love of food or just generally eating anything edible will backfire in the future and I'll become obese, but until that day I'll continue to munch. 

The BBC Good Food Show has been held in Birmingham for many years and every year it grows in the number of visitors and exhibitors. Whether its large brands or local businesses you could try anything from duck burgers to divine chocolate wine. 

Several thimbles of gin and wine later I was satisfied that I'd nibbled on enough cheese, gorged on plenty of cake and burnt my mouth with curry sauce to know that I wouldn't need to eat for the rest of the weekend.

Aside from food there was also a garden show, much to the delight of my mother, where you could get your green fingers on a variety of flora and fauna - that's if you managed to dodge the fleets of mobility scooters.

The National Bee Keeping Association were also on hand to drum up support for the humble bumblebee. I even had a go at weaving a traditional basket to keep bees. I almost took out the eye of the teacher, but I managed to get the knack of it after a few attempts. Maybe basket weaving should be my new hobby?

Picnic at the Palace

So this weekend I took a trip back in time to visit the majestic Hampton Court Palace.

The last time I visited the Tudor/Baroque palace was a school trip over fifteen years ago where I unfortunately, much to my dismay, missed out on venturing around the maze. So many years later I was back and looking forward to attempting to reach the centre of the maze and of course walking back in time.

Fortunately and much to the delight of my picnic fanatic friend Mandy, our trip coincided with the palaces Big Picnic event. Not only could you pitch up on the lawn with your own picnic, but the palace put on events to celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend. On stage you could watch demonstrations by a 16th century scientist who almost blew up his equipment or see a troupe of actors from RADA bring the Canterbury Tales to life. Is it just me, but isn't the Millers Tale a little too bawdy for young children? I wonder how many awkward conversations took place afterwards with parents trying to explain the sex noises from the actors. 

There was even the opportunity to get creative at one of the several stalls and create masks to show a healthy and sick face of a Tudor woman. My poor mask had come down with the Lichtenstein pop art pox and Mandy's appeared to have a severe case of bogeyitus.

Aside from the activities outside we also took advantage of wondering around the palace and the beautiful grounds all with the aid of an audio guide. Apparently working in technology doesn't mean you'll know how to work an audio guide and after a few attempts I gave up and decided to make up my own version of the palaces history. Let's face it, my version will be more colourful and naturally feature me.

Inside the palace you could explore a new exhibition about the secrets of the bedchamber which exposes what really takes in the state bedchamber. It's not all about sleeping, but business, eating, conspiracy and only the most important and influential people would be admitted in to the chamber. My favourite part of the whole exhibition was lying down on a bed to watch a display on the ceiling. If the music had been less dramatic I would quite happily have taken 30 winks as the beds were so comfy. Maybe we should present future campaign proposals in a similar way?

There's one confession I have to make. Every time I visit a stately home I can't help but take a closer observation of the portraits on display. It's not because I'm a die hard fan of Holbein or Gainsborough, but more so that I can find a face that might look like me so that I might stake a claim in the property and maybe a title - Duchess has a nice ring to it. I've been to a lot of old houses, palaces and castles and this is yet to happen.

Was it worth going back for a second time? Most definitely. We conquered the maze, we are now experts in Tudor history or so we believe, we got creative, but most importantly we didn't loose our heads to Henry VIII.

Here's a little tip if you are struggling to remember Henry's wives that I still remember from school!

Divorced - Catherine of Aragon
Beheaded - Anne Boleyn
Died - Jane Seymour
Divorced - Anne of Cleves
Beheaded - Catherine Howard
Survived - Catherine Parr

Heineken Cup Semi-Final

So this weekend I cheered on the Saracens as they took on the formidable Toulon in
the Heineken Cup semi-final at Twickenham.

Having been a supporter for many years of the wonderful Saracens, totally not
biased, this was set to be a tough game as Toulon had shown great
form recently and they were determined to make it to the final. 

Let's not forget who their fly half is.... Jonny "drop kick
gorgeous" Wilkinson. No matter the shirt colour Jonny is one of
the best fly half's in the world, as quoted by my housemate, but how would he
fare against Owen Farrell? 



After the cringe worthy Sarries anthem the game started and the
stadium screamed, shouted, gasped and sighed their way through the first half.
The speed of Toulon was mesmerising whilst Jonny's kicks
were faultless. Sarries maintained a strong defence to prevent Toulon scoring
tries and kept a level head despite some bad referee decisions - still not
biased.



At the half time whistle Sarries were on 9 points, but Toulon were
leading with 12. One could only hope that the pep talk by the coach would lead
us to victory.



The second half was packed with near tries for Sarries, but as hard as
they tried no one could stop Jonny Wilkinson's left foot.



The final score 12 to Sarries and 24 to Toulon. Sarries won't
be going to Dublin for the final to play Clermont, but at least we tried
our best and I can rest my vocal chords. 



Man of the match? Why it could only be Jonny Wilkinson.

Battle of the Sexes

So this weekend I travelled to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to see a new and highly praised production of Augustus Strindberg's play Miss Julie aptly renamed Mies Julie.

Having studied the play at school, what feels like a lifetime ago, I was was keen to see how the South African based Baxter Theatre Centre, would translate the sexually explosive play to make it relevant to a modern audience. 

The play was written in 1888 and its clear, for all those who have studied the play, that Strindberg wasn't overly fond of women and that the battle between sex and class is central to the plot. Women aren't perceived in the same way as they were back in the late 19th Century. Women can work and have a family or even become the CEO of some of the top businesses in the world. Unless you are playing it as a piece of late Victorian drama then you can't update it.... well so I thought. 

Director, Yael Farber, has transported the play away from the Victorian era to post apartheid South Africa. As the audience, we observed the personal struggles, ambitions and fears of the characters in the play who were left in the aftermath of the apartheid. From the first line you were swept up in the emotive dialogue, aware of the bareness of the stage and haunted by the constant droning of the backing track all of which evoked the hopelessness of the original play.

Hilda Cronje's Mies Julie, teased her way across the stage radiating feminine sexuality in the first half before melting into moments of hysteria and vulnerability as Julie gradually looses control. Bongile Mantsai captured the ambitious nature of John, seeking any means to take what is rightfully his. Although aggressive at times towards Julie, Bongile brought to life the good side of John through his devotion to his mother who he is desperate to please.
It's a powerful re-telling of the play which shouldn't be missed! Visit www.riversidestudios.co.uk to book your tickets.